Tender moments at the Sochi Olympics

Tuesday

Feb 11, 2014 at 8:13 PM

Olympic coaches, athletes and families display "the true spirit" of the Olympics at Sochi 2014 in the midst of fierce competition and pressure.

Alison Moore

Coaches, athletes and families are displaying a spirit of camaraderie in the midst of fierce competition at the Olympics in Sochi.
On Tuesday, Canadian coach Justin Wadsworth helped Russian cross-country skier Anton Gafarov when it seemed no one else was willing.
Gafarov's run in the men's free sprint for cross-country skiing was not easy. Left with a broken ski after crashing twice, Gafarov was dragging himself to the finish line far behind the rest of the pack.
This sight motivated Wadsworth to help the athlete from another country. He ran out to the track and replaced Gafarov's broken ski with a spare.
"It was like watching an animal stuck in a trap. You can't just sit there and do nothing about it," Wadsworth said, according to The Toronto Star. "I wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line."
Commentors on a Huffington Post Canada article shared pride in their country and reflected on the true meaning of the Olympics.
"THAT is what the Olympics are about ... sportsmanship should override the need to be featured on a box of Wheaties," Caitlin St. John wrote.
Another Canadian, Alex Bilodeau, received attention for his record-setting win - as well as his love for his supporters.
Bilodeau became the first moguls skier to win two gold medals in freestyle skiing, one in Vancouver in 2010 and another Monday night in Sochi, but he didn't celebrate alone. The athlete congratulated his competitors and quickly ran to his brother, Frederic, who has cerebral palsy. Alex embraced him, pulled him over the barrier so they could enjoy the gold together and dedicated his win to Frederic.
A For the Win USA Today article quotes an NBC interview with Alex, who talked about Frederic as his inspiration.
"When I see him, he's my everyday inspiration. When I wake up in the morning and it's raining outside and I don't want to go train and I don't want to go out and ski, I look at my brother. If he had that chance, he would go. He would grab it. With the motivation that he has, if he would be a normal person like I have the chance to be, he would be a three-time Olympic champion. There's no doubt about it."
Media and fans reacted to the heartwarming story through Twitter.
In another family, American Olympic luger Tucker West and his father Brett bonded over a embarrassing and humorous comment from Brett on national TV.
The athlete's dad announced on the "Today" show that his son is "a little shy" and "very single" to "all the young ladies out there."
After the comment, Tucker's Facebook page grew by 2,000 fans overnight, he was asked on dates and even offered marriage proposals, according to "Today."
Using the hashtag #TeamTucker, people fawned over the Olympic athlete or sympathized with the embarrassing situation.
Despite being "mortified" at first, Tucker tweeted out love for his dad.
"But 'all is now forgiven' and they're 'best buds again,' Brett said after spending the day with his son. 'I'm thrilled he isn't mad at me. He's such a good kid,'" the "Today" article said.%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A//beacon.deseretconnect.com/beacon.gif%3Fcid%3D144734%26pid%3D46%22%20/%3E